


Harder to Breathe

by SumsMasterpiece



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Asthma, Class reunion, Drinking, Gay Sex, Hand Jobs, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Reunions, Semi-Public Sex, Sloppy Makeouts, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 12:43:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15751905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SumsMasterpiece/pseuds/SumsMasterpiece
Summary: It has been years since the cadets of the Galaxy Garrison have seen each other since their graduations. Everyone is having a good time drinking and having discussions of the good old times. Everyone except for Keith, who can't help but stare across the room at his best friend Shiro and the gold band around his left ring finger.





	Harder to Breathe

**Author's Note:**

> Not finished

The small bar that they congregate at was filled with warmth and laughter. The whole room was spilling out with giggles and slurred speech. Everyone seemed to have been having a good time.

"Come on, Keith. This is a Garrison get together, at least try and look less like you're being tortured," Lance said as he slotted his arm around Keith's shoulders. The Cuban smelled of liquor and of his cheap cologne. Keith could feel the back of his throat closing up with the intense smell and he swore he was going to vomit all over Lance's brand new Prada shoes.

Scrunching his nose and counted to ten in his head, Keith sighed and slowly lifted Lance's arm off of his shoulders. "I get it, Lance. I'll act like I care but could you not suffocate me to death, please?"

Lance's blue eyes gleamed and smacked Keith's shoulder two times before shifting away, "Sure thing, Mullet."

The party itself consisted of some heads of an older graduating class gathered money together to buy out an entire bar for the evening. It was a nice little building, with green shingle roofing and the gold colored walls made the place feel homey and warm.

\---

Keith wasn't planning on going to the party and was actually planning an entire evening of having a Star Wars marathon with his dog Cosmo from the comfort of his home. But Lance, Pidge, and Hunk wouldn't take that as an answer and Lance even persuaded Keith's mom to help convince him to go. 

"Go and have fun tonight," she'd said as she pulled out some bills from her purse and handed it to him. "I'll watch Cosmo for the night. You know I get lonely staying in this place by myself," her eyes lowered.

Keith didn't know how to refuse when she put it like that. He knew that she got lonely ever since Pop died, but he also really didn't want to go. Cosmo whined and nuzzled his nose to Keith's hand and licked it. He looked down at his dog and smiled, "Alright, I guess one night won't hurt." Keith handed the leash to his mom and kneeled down and scratched behind Cosmo's big fluffy-pointed ears, "you be good while I'm gone. I'll be back to pick you up tomorrow." 

A car horn blared behind him, loud and consistent. The blue Mercedes behind him was relentless. "Come on, Keith! Vamos a Hacer un Movimiento en!"

Keith rolled his eyes and gave his mom a hug, "I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

She hugged tighter, "Try and have some fun."

Keith turned toward the street, giving his mother a tight smile. 

Yeah, fun. 

\---

As the night progressed, Keith noticed that Hunk and Pidge were still missing and have yet to arrive at the party. Keith could handle being at this party with Lance only for so long. 

As if on cue, Hunk and Pidge walked into the bar. Hunk was holding hands with a girl that was slightly taller than him and a curvy body. She was smiling brightly and was laughing at something that he had said. That was something Keith didn’t expect.

“Hey Keith,” Pidge waved and plopped herself down at the small table he occupied by himself. 

Keith smiled at her and brought the beer he was nursing in his hands to his lips and took a sip. “So, who did Hunk bring with him?” 

The small girl leaned over to the pitcher of beer and poured herself a glass, “Oh, that’s Shay, Hunk’s girlfriend, and co-worker.” Pidge took a big swig of her beer and sighed in content. “It’s kind of the reason we were so late,” she explains. “She forgot she had to pick her grandma up from the hospital.”

Keith nodded and took a big gulp of his beer until all was left on the bottom of his cup was foam. 

Hunk walked over to their table and sat down, Shay sat with him to his right, “Hey Keith, I’d like you to meet Shay,” Hunk introduced and Keith extended his hand as they both give a generous shake with light pressure in the fingers. 

“Oh, Hunk has told me much about you Keith. He just loves coming up with new recipes for you to try for him,” Shay says while placing her hand on Hunk’s arm. The move was so domestic. 

Keith for a moment thought about his parents. Had his Mom did the same with his Pop? Where they just as expressive with one another in public. He never really got to see them together with his mother being dispatched soon after he was born. 

“Does he? That’s good to hear.” 

The awkwardness was beginning to settle until Pidge saved the day, “It’s actually surprising that you’re here, Keith. I wasn’t really sure if you were going to be here tonight or not.”

Keith thanked his small friend in his mind for helping him out. He was never really good with conversation, or just with people in general. 

“You can thank Mr. Smooth Talker,” Keith gestured to Lance who was chatting with a girl with long white hair at the other end of the bar. “He talked with my mom earlier today and she kind of guilted me into going.”

Pidge knotted as she refilled up her glass. Pidge could imagine Lance would pull such a move over Keith. But in all honesty, they were all worried about Keith. When they all graduated from the Garrison, the small friend group all expected that Keith would be one of the biggest and most famous pilots the Galaxy Garrison had ever seen, but he then fell off the face of the earth. It took Hunk accidentally bumping into him at a convenience store for the whole group to get back together then. It was an unspoken agreement between Pidge, Hunk, and Lance that they would never let Keith slip away again. Even if they wanted to ask what happened with Keith and why he didn’t talk with any of them, they knew Keith was very sensitive about things. 

“Well, it’s good to see you. You need to hang out with us more. I know Matt misses you.”

Keith flinched a little at Matt’s name. He didn’t hate Matt, quite the opposite. Keith’s mind began to replay the last night he saw Matt and it was the night that Keith hated to think about. 

Keith reached for the pitcher of beer and poured some for himself, “Does he? I thought he’d be too busy with that NASA job of his.” Keith wanted to get distracted and he prayed that Pidge could get the pitcher and drop the topic. 

Pidge say the change in Keith’s mood. He was closing in on himself, an old gesture that Keith hadn’t used since they first met. 

Suddenly an obnoxious robotic ringtone was ringing between the silence and Pidge reached for her phone muttering how she thought she’d place it on silent when she read the text.

Matt:  
Hey Katie! Be there soon. Had something to do. Love you~

“Speak of the devil, Matt says he’ll be here soon,” Pidge smiles and sends an eye-rolling emoji back to him saying that she loved him too. 

Keith wouldn’t look up from the table. He could feel the tightness forming in his chest. No no no. Keith could feel himself slipping and going back to the night that he messed everything up.

\---

Three Years Ago

Three weeks were left until graduation and Keith couldn’t be more excited about it. He couldn’t wait to not be held back with how to fly. Soon, he could fly the way he wants. Soon, Keith could be free. 

Feeling antsy from studying all day for his finals on Monday, Keith needed to get out and do something or else he’d go crazy. 

He opened his dorm door with a ‘swoosh’ when he is stopped by a broad chest in his face. 

“Woah there,” Shiro's voice sounded startled yet playful.

**Author's Note:**

> vamos a hacer un movimiento en = let's get a move on (in Spanish)


End file.
